This invention relates generally to the developing of wound coils for use in electromagnetic devices and more particularly to methods and apparatus for developing groups of wound coils of varying size for use in magnetic cores.
One known scheme for developing groups of coils for a stator of a dynamoelectric machine, such as an electric motor, has been to provide a coil form or arbor having a series of different steps for forming different size coils for a pole or coil group. A flyer may be rotated about the coil form to form one coil of the pole group, whereupon the flyer is shifted axially to position the wire path about the next step of the coil form for forming another coil of the pole group. This stepping of the flyer and winding process is repeated an appropriate number of times until the coil group is developed for a particular motor stator which is to receive the coils; whereupon, a next coil group is formed in a similar fashion. Several coil groups may be formed for a particular stator and then the coil groups are removed from the coil form; whereupon the coil groups are either hand-placed or machine inserted into the stator core.
In another type of coil developing or winding system such as, for example, systems of the type illustrated in Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,939, Arnold U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,791, and Arnold U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,601 which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, a coil receiving means is mated with a coil form or mold in a position to receive coils thereon during operation of a turn dispensing flyer. With this type of arrangement, the flyer is fixed axially and rotates about the coil form to dispose conductor turns on steps of the form. Differently configured coils are developed by stepping or axially moving the coil form so as to position different steps of the coil form in the path of the conductor wire emanating from the flyer.
One known arrangement for stepping or moving different steps of a coil form into the path of conductor wire emanating from a flyer involves a series of solenoid operated stops or trip bars for engaging a jump plate or extension thereof which is interconnected for movement with the coil form. The trip bars are mechanically and electrically interconnected with the flyer so as to control the coil form stepping in accordance with the number of conductor turns and the position of the flyer relative to the coil form. Although it works well for many applications, this type of arrangement requires separate control components for each step which necessarily puts a practical limit on the number of steps that can be provided from complexity, economic and mounting standpoints. Further, the arrangement is mechanically interconnected with flyer movement which necessitates performance of the jump movement while the flyer is within a particular span of its rotational movement.
Another known approach for controlling axial movement of a coil form relative to a flyer for developing coils of a coil group involves attachment of stop blocks having axially displaced stop surfaces thereon to a jump plate. Latches which are operated by high speed cylinders alternately engage and disengage surfaces of their respective blocks, and thereby, control movement of the coil form relative to the flyer for developing the different coils. The arrangement is not mechanically interconnected with flyer rotation, and thus, stepping may be accomplished independent of flyer rotation.
However, it would be desirable to develop a new and improved coil form jump arrangement having a simplified control means. An arrangement which would be versatile in that it could provide for numerous variations in stepping movement including the number of steps so as to allow development of coils for several different motor designs. Further, it would be desirable if such arrangement could be economically constructed and mounted so that portions thereof could be easily and quickly interchanged to adapt to the different motor designs with a minimum of machine downtime. Still further, it would be desirable to have the jump arrangement capable of operating independently of flyer rotational position.
Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for developing a plurality of coils of conductive wire for use in magnetic cores and improved methods of developing at least one coil group having a predetermined number of serially connected coils of electrically conductive wire.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide coil developing methods and apparatus which provide for reliable and economical manufacture of coils and which provide for easy conversion to adapt to the development of differently configured coils.
Another object of the present invention is to provide coil developing methods and apparatus which simplify control requirements.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for moving a coil form portion with a plurality of turn-gauging steps independently of the flyer rotation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for easily adapting to varying the number of jumps of a turn-gauging stepped coil form.
A still further object is to provide new and improved apparatus having a versatile, simplified and economical jump mechanism which is adaptable to differing incremental steps including a large number of relatively small steps.
These as well as other objects and advantageous features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.